Accepted
by crazy34
Summary: The six of us are outcasts. Myself and Gaara are cutters, Temari is a Goth, Shino's doesn't say much, Kiba's half dog, and Shikamaru is dating Temari. What can we do to be accepted? Do we have to change ourselves to be Accepted?
1. Trip to the Principal's office

Okay, to start off, hi! This is my second fanfiction, and my first one in first person. This is my back-up work so when I don't have any ideas for my other one, I work on this. My friends liked this one, so I decided to post it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Only the ideas. Those are kept locked away in my head, on a piece of paper, or on the computer.

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Today was a normal day. Get up, shower, get dressed, have a boring day at school, get home, do homework, eat, then go to bed. It was no different than any other Thursday.

The alarm clock started playing the song on the radio though I was already awake. It was my favorite song, "I hate everything about you," by Three Days Grace. It had just started, so naturally I sang along to the lyrics. Or, at least I would have if I'd had a better singing voice.

So, I just listened to the song, mouthing out the words. But the song shortly ended, so I forced myself out of bed and sleepily walked to the bathroom for my shower. As I undressed, I caught sight of something. Something sharp, something pointy. In front of me was my brother's razor he had used for shaving. I wondered…

**Time skip: Lunchtime at School**

"Hinata, over here!" I heard. I spun around to the direction of the voice. It was Kiba. He was waving at me, a big smile on his face. I carefully walked over to him. Around him were our friends: Shino, Temari, Shikamaru, and Gaara.

Every time I saw them, I always thought of how we were outcasts. Gaara and I were cutters, Temari was Goth, Shino didn't talk much, and Kiba was half-dog. The only one of us that would be considered "normal" would be Shikamaru, but he was an outcast for dating Temari.

Everyone in the clan of outcasts was like relatives. And we had one rule: mess with one of us; you mess with all of us. We each look out for each other and help each other. Plus, each of us shares classes with another. Shikamaru with Temari, Kiba with Shino, and myself with Gaara. We were almost a second family.

I had almost reached the rest of the clan when Ino bumped into me. "Whoops. Sorry _cutter._" She sneered. I fell to the ground, dropping my books and binders. I quickly started picking them up, not wanting to cause any trouble. One of my books was farther than expected, so I stretched out to get it, but my hoodie sleeve got caught on something. That caused up to my wrists to be exposed. I quickly pulled back, but it was too late. Ino saw my new cuts.

"What was it with this time, freak?" Ino snapped, stepping on my arm. I winced in pain because she was digging her heel and toe of her shoe into my arm. For a second, everything seemed to get quiet. Then, there was a snap.

Ino suddenly removed her foot from where it had been just a few seconds before. Next to me came Gaara's voice, "Hinata, its okay. Onee-chan is dealing with Ino, and Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru are getting the nurse."

I looked up to see Temari holding Ino up by the scruff of her Hollister shirt, her feet a few inches off the ground. Temari was pissed at the look of it. "Damn it, prep! I've been holding back, not punishing you, but this is too far. Now, you have to deal with me!" Temari threatened, grinning at the last sentence. She continued, "So, what's wrong with what Hinata does? You're harassing her everyday about it. You had this coming," she demanded, grinning again at the last sentence.

Temari shoved Ino against a nearby wall. Holding her up with one hand, she stuck her free hand down her own shirt, pulling out a knife. Ino started hyperventilating and squirming around, but Temari had a firm grip on her.

With the hand with the knife, she lifted Ino's arm so the under side was facing Temari. With her hand that was holding up Ino, she grabbed Ino's hand by the wrist.

Temari pressed the knife against Ino's skin and punctured it. Then, she slowly slid the knife down Ino's arm, almost like she was a professional at this. Ino almost screamed.

"Temari, you will drop both Ino and the knife this second or I'll expel you," thundered Tsunade, who had just emerged from a classroom. Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru were beside her, and Kiba looked apologetic. Shino was expressionless, and Shikamaru was concerned.

Tsunade glanced over at me. "I want Temari, Ino, and Hinata to come with me."

I nodded. Temari dropped both Ino and the knife while rolling her eyes. I started up, but Gaara stopped me. "I can get up on my own, Gaara," I smiled, trying to reassure him. I started to get up again, but this time, a hand was extended out to me. I looked up and grabbed the offered hand.

"Wow Hinata, you're so skinny," replied Temari as she pulled me up.

I would have thanked her if I was normal, but I didn't. "No I'm not," I whispered, so Temari couldn't hear me. Many people had problems with my low self-esteem, especially Temari.

She let go of my hand the minute I was standing. We started walking towards Tsunade. Surprisingly, the once full courtyard was almost empty. Temari saw me looking around.

"They're in the lunchroom, waiting for the bell," she said, her face still sour and glaring at Ino, who was already waiting beside Tsunade. As we came closer, Tsunade turned around and started walking to the office. When her back was turned, Kiba was at my side. "Hinata, are you okay?" he asked. I nodded. Then, he turned towards Temari. "Sorry I couldn't buy you much time."

"It's okay. I think she got the point," said Temari, forgiving Kiba. We continued walking towards the office where Tsunade and Ino were headed in silence. Temari held the door open as I walked into the plain white office.

Every time I walked in, I wanted to decorate it. It was too plain, too boring. Maybe something along the line of dark greens, reds, and blacks. Upgrade the secretary's stupid Macintosh to a Windows XP with faster internet connection that didn't block all our favorite websites.

The secretary interrupted my designing thoughts. "Tsunade is waiting in her office," she said, a fake smile on her face. I could tell she liked us the same amount that Ino did. She stood up and led us down a hallway to the principal's office. She opened the door at the end of the hall for us.

I had never been in the principal's office before. The walls were a dark blue and the furniture was mostly green. On a green cabinet was a pet cage. If I was "normal", I would have thought the creatures in the glass box were disgusting. But they were actually kinda cute. Several slugs were in the box, squirming around.

I seated myself in the chair closest to the slugs. Temari sat next to me, not taking her eyes off Ino. Ino was glaring at me, so I concentrated on Tsunade's slugs. The silence wouldn't let up.

Tsunade finally spoke. "So, let me get this straight. Temari, you were cutting Ino because of something she did to Hinata, am I right?" We all nodded in unison, so Tsunade continued, "So, I want to hear everybody's side of the story. And no butting in another person's story. Hinata, you go first."

I nodded once, and then started. "Well, I was walking over to Temari and the others, but Ino bumped into me and knocked me down. I tried picking up my books and binders that were knocked out of my arms, but Ino made fun of me for cutting myself as she saw my scars. Then Temari picked her up and cut her. That's when you came in." Subconsciously, I had looked down and started fiddling my thumbs. Temari stared at me, confused, while Ino smirked.

"Ino, your turn," Tsunade said, turning to Ino.

"Thank you, sensei," Ino smiled. Then, she started her story. "Well, I was pushed by Sakura-chan into Hinata-**chan**," Ino started. Temari clenched her teeth, her fists balled up. She took it offensively when Ino ended my name with "-chan". "Anyways, and accidentally knocked her over, making her drop everything. So, Temari-san thought it would be nice to assault me," Ino sneered, showing her arm. A few drops of blood streamed down it.

"Okay, Temari?" Tsunade said, moving on.

"Okay, Hinata was walking towards us, but Sakura pushed Miss Piggy into her, knocking her over. As Hinata was gathering her stuff, Miss Piggy saw one of her scars and stepped on her arm, breaking it. So, I grabbed the farm animal and slit her own wrist open with this," Temari said, showing her knife. I couldn't help but giggle when Temari called Ino "Miss Piggy." "Then, you came in, sensei."

Tsunade nodded. "Okay, so Sakura pushed Ino into Hinata. Now, Temari, you said Ino broke Hinata's arm" – Temari nodded – "And Ino, you said it was accidental." – Ino nodded – "Okay, so Hinata, which one was it?" Tsunade asked, turning to me. I felt three pairs of eyes on me. I looked down, rubbing my cuts for comfort. I whispered, "Temari."

Tsunade nodded, and then continued the story. "So, Ino stepped on Hinata's arm and broke it. Then, Temari attacked Ino for breaking Hinata's arm by slitting Ino's wrists. Is that right?"

Temari nodded, followed by my own head nodding. Ino was about to speak up, but closed her mouth and just nodded instead. Tsunade sighed. "Ino, you are to stay after school for detention every day for two weeks to make the school nicer. Now, go see Ms. Anko for a note to class." Ino got up and left.

The principal turned to Temari as Ino left the room. "Temari, you will have an in-house suspension starting Monday for three weeks, plus a meeting with your father. Now, go see Ms. Anko for a note to class." Temari left the room, trying to calm herself from punching a hole in the wall. Then, Tsunade turned to me.

"Let's get your arm fixed up," was all she said. She opened the drawer to her desk and pulled out bandage wraps. Naturally, I rolled up my sleeve. She walked back over to me and wrapped around my left arm. "So, did you do that?"

I nodded. She was talking about the scars on my arm. She wrapped the bandage to my elbow, and then back to my wrist. Tsunade wrapped it between my between my thumb and index finger, and then told me to hold it. I did. She walked to her desk a pulled out a safety pin from her drawer. She walked back over and pinned the bandage together.

"Hinata, do **not** use this safety pin for any reason other than holding the bandage," she warned me. I nodded. I wasn't planning on it. She turned to the cabinets that the slug cage was on and pulled out a sling. She put it around my neck and placed my arm in the dark blue part. "All done," she said, smiling at me.

"Thank you, sensei," I bowed. Then, I turned to look at the slugs. "These guys are cute," I smiled.

"Oh, thanks. No else thinks so…" Tsunade said. I nodded, understanding. Then, I changed the subject. "Sensei, am I in trouble?" I asked. Tsunade shook her head. "No, you're not. So go see Ms. Anko for a note to class," she said. I nodded, bowed good-bye, and left.

I was surprised to see Temari waiting for me outside the office. "So, what class are you going to?" she asked. "It's fifth period now."

"P.E. It's Gai's class verses Kakashi's class in kickball," I replied.

Temari nodded. "I have chemistry A.P." she said. I looked at her confused. "You have Orochimaru's class?"

Temari sighed. "Yes, the Goth is in an advanced class. So exciting," she sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. Then she changed the subject, "So, you thought the "Miss Piggy" thing was funny?" I nodded.

We started walking towards our classes. I was glad the locker room was on the way to Orochimaru's classroom. I had a question I wanted to ask. "Temari, how many knives do you have?"

She was amused by this question. "How many? Well, today I have five, but I usually have three," she smirked. "I don't' know why I have so many, I just do. They make me feel… Safe."

I nodded. The rest of the short walk was in silence. As the door to the locker room came up, I bid Temari farewell. "See you after school, Hinata, Temari said, waving. I slid through the locker room door. Everyone was dressed and talking about the game.

I walked to my locker and quickly but carefully dressed into my P.E. uniform. I was tying my shoe as Gai-sensei called in, "Girls, time to play some kickball!"

I hurried with my shoe and stood up. I was the last one out of the locker room, but I didn't care. I filed out behind the other girls who had started merging with the boys.

Gaara walked over to me as I walked out of the locker room. He looked at my arm, and then poked it. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

I shook my head no, smiling. At least he cared. I watched his expression as he examined my arm. He had a curious look on flicker in his eyes. Curious myself, I followed his eyes to what he was staring at: the safety pin. "Gaara," I said, "that's not to be removed."

Gaara looked at me strangely. "So, how are you…?" he paused, and then asked a different question. "So, are you going to stop?"

Now I was the one with a strange look on my face. "What do you me-"I stopped. I knew exactly what he meant. I looked at my feet. "I don't know yet."

"So, Gaara, is Hinata the young maiden to aid you in the match? Remember, we are playing against Kakashi's team, and we will not lose. So, let's do it!" Gai exclaimed from behind us, his hands on our shoulders.

Under our breaths, we both said, "let's not,' at the same time. I giggled. Gaara stared at me in amusement. Gai, who didn't catch what we said, started pushing us to the kickball field.

"Umm, Gai-sensei, you know we can walk, right?" I asked, embarrassed that we were being pushed by the teacher, who apparently didn't care that I had a broken arm. "I mean, beating Kakashi is important to you, so why don't you save your energy and let us walk," I suggested.

Gai grinned. "That's an excellent idea, Hinata. I'll leave you kids to walk by yourselves, but don't be late. Extra credit if we win!" Gai exclaimed. I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the blush that was spreading across my face.

Gaara noticed. "Hinata, why do you blush so much?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Natural reaction, I guess. I've done it all my life," I replied. Gaara just nodded, looking at the kickball field. His eyes narrowed, he was staring at something. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Neji." Was all he said. Hearing Nii-san's name, I followed his eyes. I stopped. Neji was walking towards us. Gaara stopped a few steps in front of me. Neji's current girlfriend, Tenten, was following him. She stopped just inches from Gaara. Neji walked up to me. He was staring at my arm.

"I saw the fight at lunch. So, what did you use?" he asked coolly.

I sighed. I couldn't hide anything from Neji. "Your razor," I whispered, looking at my feet. I pulled my head up and met his eyes. He was staring blankly at me, but his expression hardened.

"Why do you do that to yourself?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

I was puzzled. "I… I don't know," I admitted. But that wasn't the answer he wanted. He kept staring at me. "I… Don't… Know," I repeated. He probably missed what I had said. Or, at least that's what I thought. His expression didn't change. "Nii-san, I really don't know, okay!" I said. I was getting fed-up with Neji.

"Neji, maybe she does it because she can't keep any secrets, and they comfort her," flatly said Gaara. Neji turned to look at Gaara. They coldly stared at each other for a few seconds, but Neji broke the silence. "Come on, Tenten. Let's leave."

Neji and Tenten turned towards the kickball field and walked away. I stepped up to Gaara. "I owe you one," I said. All he did was nod.

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Tell me how Chapter one was. I know, the characters might be a little Out Of Character, but it's a fanfiction. It's not like this is going to be apart of the manga. So, thanks for reading Accepted. Help, ideas, and flames are welcome!


	2. An Old Face

**Sorry! It's been forever since Chapter 1! I've been too busy!**

**Disclaimer - I may not own Naruto, but I will own Fanfiction, then buy Naruto! Muhahahahahaha! (Actually, I doubt I will ever accomplish this much...)**

We ended up losing the game. The score was sixteen to seventeen, and Kakashi-sensei's class won because Neji got a successful grand slam, kickball style.

I jumped up from where I was sitting on the bleachers when Gaara was walking by and hopped down to him. "Sixteen points. You almost did it. If only Nii-san wasn't so good…" I smiled as I pulled up to him.

The red-head folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "Maybe if a certain Hyuuga didn't break her arm, we might have won," he said, glancing at me with slight annoyance in his eyes as three girls, who were deep in conversation, walked past us, glaring in our direction.

"No we wouldn't. We would've just lost, no matter what. I wouldn't have been of any help," I retorted, looking at my feet to not Gaara's eyes. His eyes slightly widened in surprise. He turned his head to look at me fully.

"Hinata, you know that's not true," he protested. Stubbornly, I shook my head no. I knew we would have lost, with or without my help because I was always causing problems with group games in P.E. like kickball. I always missed the ball, I could never catch one, and I could never reach first base! But, of course, as a friend, Gaara opposed against my negativity towards myself. Just like everyone else.

"Hinata, come on. We're going to be late." I looked up. Gaara had already started walking towards the locker rooms. I slowly followed, a memory suddenly surfacing in my mind.

**---**

_You Hyuugas are spoiled bitches!" screeched a girl who was in the fifth grade. She spit on me as I pulled my legs closer to my chest, making my ball tighter in the corner. We were in the supply closet where all the P.E. equipment was located._

'_Please! Please send help! Send Nii-san or Iruka-sensei,' I silently pleaded as the four fifth graders in the closet abused me. I was on the verge of tears, though I tried to hide my pain. Pain was weakness, after all._

"_Iruka-sensei, over here!" yelled a voice from outside the closet-like room. It was a girl, and one that made my heart sky-rocket. It was Ino, my best friend._

"_Ino, Neji, are you sure there's a rabid dog in there?" doubtfully asked a grown man. It was Iruka-sensei. I smiled slightly, hoping the girls wouldn't notice._

_They didn't notice. Instead, the girls around me gasped. They franticly looked around the room for an excuse for being in here. One girl grabbed me by the hood of my jacket and pulled me to my feet. Another started dusting me off, while the last two gathered supplies._

"_In here?" asked Iruka, grabbing the handle. One of the girls stuffed some stuff into my arms. "Ino, Neji, you two had better stand back. I wouldn't want you getting bitten," cautioned Iruka._

"_Yes sensei!" replied Neji, his voice a little too loud._

_The door opened to reveal myself and the other four girls. I was holding a soccer ball, two jump ropes, and an orange cone. The "leader" of the girls said, "Come on, girls. Let's get these to Mizuki-sensei, like he asked." She winked at me, but I dropped all the junk in my arms to the ground._

"_But Mizuki-sensei didn't say me! Nii-san?" I protested. I was staring at Neji._

_Neji and Ino stepped into the closet. Neji put his arm around my tiny shoulder with a wicked smile that wiped away all of the girl's chances of getting out of this situation with no trouble. "Hinata, how can you be helping these girls gather stuff for Mizuki-sensei if you don't know who he is? After all, he is a fifth grade teacher. And you're only in second grade," smirked the older white-eyed boy._

_Just as one of the girls was about to punch the older Hyuga in the face, Iruka grabbed her arm. "Go to class, girls. I'll make sure the Principal gets word of this," he ordered angrily. Two of the girls had tears falling down their cheeks as they walked away after their friends._

_When they were gone, Iruka squatted next me. "Hinata, are you okay?" When he said this, his eyes were soft and his voice was caring. There was no anger left in his system. I nodded, the tears stored up tumbling down my cheeks. I hugged the teacher, and he hugged me back._

_He let go and turned towards Neji and Ino, earning a look from both of the kids that said "crap, we're in trouble. "So, you think this is rabid? More like stray," he smiled. Ino and Neji smiled back, the worry gone._

"_T-thank you, I-Ino, N-n-Nii-san," I quietly bowed. My voice was shaking, and I didn't think the words would come out. Ino grinned wide, but Neji just shook his head. "It's not us you should be thanking. Kiba told us what was going on, but he knew no one would believe him. You know how troublesome that kid is."_

**---**

I sighed as I pushed open the locker room door to the gym. _'My life was better back then. Better teachers, better friends,' _I thought to myself, comparing past to present. _'Not that I don't have good friends… I still have Nii-san and Kiba, and Temari and Gaara and everyone else…'_

I stepped into the gym, fully dressed in my regular clothes. Brown Capri's, a simple black shirt shirt, and my regular, light cream hoodie. The bell rang as the door slammed shut behind me. This was the place I met up with Gaara after P.E., but Gaara wasn't in his usual spot against the blue mats on the far wall, waiting for me. He was talking with a junior! Of course, I was too shy to walk over, so I leaned against the mat, pretending to play with my cell phone until Gaara would notice me. After all, I had five minutes.

Gaara just kept on talking. So, I decided to leave. I placed my cell phone in my pocket and started walking towards the door to the courtyard. I kept my distance from my friend and the stranger. As I was about three steps from the doors, Gaara noticed me. He started walking towards me, the junior following beside him. I heard my name come from Gaara.

"Hinata, there's someone I want you to meet," Gaara started, pulling up next to me as I opened the door. I held it open for both of the boys.

Gaara's friend matched his pace and was by us in a matter of seconds. "Hinata, do you remember who this is?" he asked, motioning towards his older friend. I took a good look at him. The hood of his black hoodie was pulled up over his head. He had narrow, beady eyes with small black pupils. Every time he blinked, I caught sight of lightly-applied purple eye shadow. His hoodie had the Element symbol on the front of it. He had tight, black jeans to match his hoodie.

My eyes turned to Gaara as I shook my head no. Gaara sighed. "Okay, then let's go to class," he suggested, stepping outside. "I'm sure you'll remember after school."

Before I knew it, Gaara had pulled me into the courtyard, which had few people still in it. Mostly couples meeting between classes, or friends getting together. He started towards our next class. As we rounded the corner in the hallway our classroom was located in, I asked, "Gaara, do I know that guy?"

Gaara stepped up next to the door and pulled it open. "You should remember him," was all he answered as we walked into the classroom and took our seats. As I placed my unnecessary stuff on the floor, the bell rang, and the teacher made an announcement. Kurenai-sensei was going to get married, and to Asuma-sensei. So, instead of our regular schedule, we had a free day, which isn't normal for a high-school class. But nothing about this school was normal.

Sixth period flew by. Gaara got me caught up on what I missed in fourth period since I had been with Temari and Ino in the principal's office.

When the bell finally rang for the end of the school day, all the kids except me and Gaara rushed out of the classroom. When we were the only two students remaining, we took our time gathering our stuff and left.

We silently walked over to the bleachers near the kickball field that I had been sitting at earlier. Temari, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and the kid from P.E. were already there, waiting for us.

When Kiba saw us, he jumped down off the bleachers and ran over to us. "Hello, fellow losers!" he greeted in a teasing way. He earned an elbow to the stomach because of his remark from me.

Of course, I was too weak to actually hurt him. It was more like a playful jab. Kiba laughed. "Hinata, you need to put a little more muscle into it to get me," he said, ruffling my hair.

I grit my teeth in play anger. I glared up at him, made a fist, and slammed it into his stomach. This time, he grabbed his stomach with an "Oww!" I grinned. So I _did _have some muscle. "When I said muscle, I didn't mean that much," Kiba growled.

He quickly put both an arm around my shoulder, a smirk on his face. "Hinata, I did not appreciate what you did to me," – he was making a big deal out of this – "and I think that you should give me a kiss on the cheek."

I glared at him again. "Stupid dog! I'm not going to kiss you!" I snapped, grabbing his arm and ripping it off from around my shoulders. I winced in pain because of my hurt arm, but it wasn't too bad.

Gaara, who had been silently watching us, saw my pain. "Kiba, I think you should back down before someone here gets hurt," he cautioned.

Kiba immediately stopped what he was doing, which was trying to grab my arm so I couldn't get away. "Aww, did you have to ruin the fun. We were just playing around. I wasn't going to make her kiss me," he whined. To my surprise, he winked at me, bent down, and whispered in my ear, "I'm still waiting for that kiss."

I shuttered and sped up. "Stupid Dog," I kept mumbling, over and over again. Kiba heard me and laughed. He quickened his pace to match mine, leaving Gaara behind. "Hinata, you know I respect you more than anyone else. It hurts me so much when you call me stupid, and it really hurts me when you call me a 'dog'," Kiba frowned.

I wasn't expecting him to look so sad. And he actually meant what he said. I shook my head. "Kiba, you're lying. You respect your sister more than me," I replied.

Kiba smiled. "Yeah, Hana is important to me. She's my sister. How can she not be important to me? She's my sister, and I kinda have to respect her. But you're the only person outside my family I respect." He ended with a grin.

I sighed. "Kiba, you sometimes confuse me," I stated. We had arrived at the bleachers and I climbed up to sit on the top step behind Temari. Kiba bounded up to the top step in three steps and sat down next to me.

Temari, Shikamaru, and the Junior from earlier were talking about Sasori-sensei, the woodshop teacher. Shino was listening in on the conversation, adding his opinion every once in a while.

"– and I still think he's a puppet," Temari said. Shikamaru just sat there, shaking his head.

"You're crazy, Temari. Sasori-sensei's a regular human being. He may not be native to Konoha, but he's normal," Shikamaru pushed.

The Junior smirked. "Actually, I agree with Temari. I'm an expert with puppets. He always wears long sleeves and long pants probably to hide the joints. That's also probably why he wears gloves everyday and covers his neck in jewelry. Even if it is my first day here in a long time, even I could figure out he was a puppet."

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. "Temari, Kankuro, it's physically impossible for Sasori-sensei to be a puppet. Puppets are created. It's impossible for a human to be made into a puppet. He probably has a bad skin condition or something."

I really hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. I was still arguing with Kiba, and I barely caught any of the conversation. But what I did happen to catch was a certain name. "Kankuro," I said, racking my brain, trying to figure out why that name was so familiar.

The junior turned to me, fore he had heard something. "You called, Hinata?" he asked.

I smiled. "You're Kankuro, right? Gaara's older brother?" I asked. Thankfully, I got a nod from the older boy.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, and I saw Gaara. I smiled. "Gaara, I didn't guess. Shikamaru said it."

Gaara nodded. "I know," was all he answered.

I turned back to Kankuro and asked, "I thought you were kicked out of this school?"

He grinned. "I was. But the school board let me back in because I was doing so well at the other school." I heard Temari snort. "Tell her the truth."

Kankuro started laughing. "Actually, my father, the Kazekage, made the school let me back in. It was either that or have us go back to Sunagakure. The school talked to Tsunade-san, and they decided that wouldn't make the Kazekage happy, so she allowed it."

I nodded in understanding, and smiled. "Oh, so that's why you're back. I haven't seen you since Junior High School. I thought you disappeared or something."

The eldest sibling smirked. "Hey Hinata, did you know I gained control of my chakra?"

I gasped. "Really?" I asked in complete fascination. He nodded.

Gaining control of chakra is an exciting event in life. Depending on one's special abilities, hobbies, and family, the person specializes in this. For example, my whole family has the Byakugan, and that means both me and my brother will be getting the Byakugan.

"Watch," he ordered. Kiba leaned towards my shoulder to get a better look. Kankuro pulled a scroll out of his backpack and did a couple of hand signs. Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, and I had our eyes glued to the sight. Suddenly, from the scroll, came a large puppet. It was about as tall as us, and it was dark brown with three eyes. My eyes widened in surprise. "Crow!"

He nodded. Suddenly, blue threads erupted from his fingers and attached to the puppet. He twitched his index finger, and the puppet's arm moved.

I would have said something else, but Neji walked up to the bleachers. "Hinata-san, it's time to go."

I nodded and stepped down the bleachers. "Bye everyone! See you tomorrow!" I waved. Then I turned and started to walk with Neji.


	3. Introduction to Sasuke

**Everyone shout Yay! for chapter 3, "Introductions to Sasuke" As you could probably gather from the title, Sasuke steps in the story. And believe me, he's here to stay for the rest of the story. I like this chapter, it shows just how close Neji and Hinata are, and I think that's just great!**

**To clear up some confusion that may arrive: Naruto's not in this story yet. Yes, I'm aware that this is Naruto, but not yet. He plays a very important role, and I'll introduce him soon. So don't worry.**

**---xXx--- **

Nii-san and I were leaning against the back of the futon, starting into the closet. We had been like this for at least five minutes, staring at an assortment of boxes of all colors, names, and pictures.

"How about that one?" wondered Neji, pointing to one of the boxes in front of me. I looked up, and put my finger on it. "This one?" I asked. He shook his head. "The one above it," he corrected.

I picked up the box that he had meant. "Uno," I said, reading the word on the box. I handed the box to him, and he looked it over.

"It's a card game," I stated. He nodded slowly, reading what it said on the back of the box. He opened it up and started reading the instructions. "I wonder what 'uno' means," I said wonderingly to myself. "It sounds German."

"It's Spanish for one," he corrected me, handing me the box. "And it looks boring. Put it back."

I took it from him and put it where I had gotten it. I was going to step away when another box caught my attention. I pulled it out, but I took a quick look at the box and stuffed it back away. "What game was that?" Neji asked.

I shook my head. "One of Hannibi's games," I replied.

He stepped foreword and took another box down. He examined it carefully and handed it to me. "How does this one look?" he asked.

I grabbed it and looked it over. It had cards, but you weren't playing with them. The word "Taboo" was written across the top of the game. By the looks of it, it was a game that used the brain. I handed it back to Neji. "It's the best game we've found so far. Let's just use it."

He nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but there came a loud series of knocks at the door. "You grab one of Hannabi's games. If they don't want to play this, they can play a dumb little kid game."

I turned to the closet as he walked away, searching for a game. An unappealing game was what I was looking for. And I knew the exact game. I grabbed 'Dora the Explorer Monopoly' and made my way to the game room.

When I got in, Neji was setting the game up on the game table. Kiba, Gaara, and Shikamaru were sitting on the couch, just talking. I walked over to them. "Hey guys. Where are Temari-chan, Shino-kun, and Kankuro-san?"

Kiba stood up and hugged me tightly. "Wind-Tema-chan and Puppet-Kanku-san were busy, and Bug-Shino-san wasn't able to come," Kiba answered. "But you don't need them. You have us." He was grinning.

I couldn't breath. "Kiba-dobe, let go of me. You're crushing my lungs," I growled, trying to push the much larger, much stronger boy off me, but to no avail.

He just grinned at me. "Why, Hinata, it's not nice to call me a dobe. And struggling won't help."

I grit my teeth in anger as his grip tightened. I lifted my foot, pulled my knee back, and kneed him really hard in the crotch. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it took him by surprise and he released me. "Oww!" he exclaimed. I ignored him.

"Nii-san, is the game ready yet?" I asked.

Neji had been watching us from where he had been standing. "I already said it was," he said in a 'duh' voice. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, but it was directed at Kiba. I walked over to the table and looked at the game. "What are we supposed to do?" I asked.

Neji picked up the directions and skimmed through them. "We're supposed to break into teams. On each card, there's a word and a list of words. The top word is the word the team is trying to guess. The other words cannot be said in the clues. It's pretty easy once we get started," he explained. "But there's one problem."

"And what is the problem?" Gaara asked.

Neji sighed. "Well, we don't have enough people for teams. There's an odd number of us, and one person would either have to be the card reader or sit out," Neji said.

Yes, that was a problem. Not a big one, but it ruined the game. "Maybe we could," I started, but I shook my head. "Never mind, that wouldn't work."

Gaara looked like he was about to ask me what my idea was, but Kiba saved me. "We'll just ask each other the questions, okay? Now come on! I wanna play!" Kiba growled. He grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the game table.

Gaara sighed as he followed behind us. I could see the anger in his eyes._"Stupid Kiba," _I silently growled.

Neji and Shikamaru were trying to figure out how to play the game. After a few minutes, we just started playing the way Kiba suggested: one on one.

Shikamaru was trying to stump Kiba (which wasn't too hard. Kiba's not very smart) when the door bell rang again. I sighed and stood up. "I'll get it," I said. The whole time I was walking out of the room, I felt Gaara's eyes on my back. I was surprised he didn't follow me.

When I opened the door, I was surprised at the person behind it. Standing in my door was Uchiha Sasuke. "Um, h-hello, Sasuke-san. What brings you here?" I asked. I silently cursed myself for the stutter in the sentence.

"Hello, Hinata-san. May I have a word with you?" he asked me. His face was so flawless, and his voice was so smooth and silky. But he was so cold and his face was expressionless. I still didn't fully understand why all the girls were in love with him.

I politely nodded, stepped out side, and closed the door behind me. "What is it that you want to t-talk about?" I asked. Again, I grew angry at the stuttering. I thought I had gotten over that in middle school. Apparently not.

"It's mainly about what happened at lunch," Sasuke replied. I nodded, and he continued. "Today, after school, Sakura-san told me that Ino-san was in the girl's bathroom, crying. She explained to me that Ino-san had been threatened, and she really didn't want to do that to you."

I nodded slowly. "But why are you telling me this?" I asked. "_Yes! No stuttering that time," _I silently cheered.

He put his hand on my shoulder. "Because none of that should have happened," he answered. "She should never had been threatened, and you should have never been apart of this."

I looked at him, surprised. "Are you saying that… you c-care about me? A-about what h-happened to me?" questioned me. I was growing more nervous and confused by the second.

Sasuke slowly nodded. "Hinata-san, I was extremely angry at lunch today. Violence like that should not go on in school, and I apologize for not helping stand up for you then."

His words seemed to slap me in the face. I was extremely surprised by his reactions. It was almost as if I was his best friend or girlfriend or something. I shuttered at the thought. He's nice and all, but I'd rather date Kiba then him, but that's not saying much. It's as if Kiba asks me that every time I see him.

To try to wipe away me being in an uncomfortable situation, I asked, "Sasuke-san, would you like to join us for a game. We have an uneven amount of players, and I'd enjoy it if you joined."

Sasuke smiled at me and put his hand on my head, smirking. "Sure, Hinata-san, I'll join," he smiled.

Again, I was in an uncomfortable situation with a guy who was both taller and stronger than me. But around Sasuke, it felt more strange than usual.

But he took his hand off my head and grinned. "Shall you show me in?" he asked.

I nodded uncertainly, and quickly opened the front door and walked in. "Nii-san, Gaara-kun, Kiba-kun, and Shikamaru-kun, we have another guest," I announced when I walked into the room with Sasuke right behind me.

Neji and Gaara looked surprised at Sasuke. Shikamaru really didn't care, and Kiba came over to us and put his arm around my shoulders. "Welcome, Sasuke-san, to the Hyuga household!"

"Kiba, let go or so help me I will kill you as soon as I get my Byakugan," I growled, trapped again in his arms. Kiba burst out laughing, while Sasuke chuckled, and I heard Neji stifle a laugh. "Gaara!" I whined.

Kiba immediately let go of me, still laughing. Behind us, Shikamaru said, "Come on, this a drag! Let's start the game."

I walked over to the table and sat next to Gaara. "Stupid Kiba," I muttered.

"When don't you say that?" I smiled at Gaara's question. "I say it everyday. Just like I say I'm glad that you're on my side," I replied. And I was true, Gaara usually didn't oppose me. He was my oasis, my shoulder to lean on, my best friend.

Kiba and Sasuke got to the table, finally over their little fit of laughter. "So, who's on what team?" the Uchiha asked.

"We haven't decided yet," replied Kiba. "We were waiting for little Hinata to get back. But it doesn't really matter to us."

Sasuke nodded. "Then I'll have the Hyuugas on my team," Sasuke grinned, putting his hand on my head again. "They're the smart ones."

I lifted his hand off my head and glared at him. "Why me?" came another whine from me. "Shikamaru's the smartest person in this room other than my Nii-san. He's the better pick."

Sasuke just grinned at me. "But you're the fun one," he grinned.

I felt like punching him in the mouth. "Stupid Uchiha," I muttered, before adding, "as stupid as Kiba."

---xXx---

"Okay Hinata-chan," Sasuke announced, looking at the card. When he looked at the word, his face screwed up. In other words, the card was either something he had never heard of or it was way too easy. "What color does yellow and blue make?"

"Green," I replied, narrowing my eyes. That… wasn't the word, was it? No, it couldn't be. He probably wouldn't be about to say either yellow or blue if the answer was green. Just a clue, probably.

Sasuke nodded. "Okay, keep the color green in your mind. What comes to your mind when I say the colors red, yellow, and green?"

I thought about this for a few seconds. "Bell peppers?" I asked. Yeah, they came in the colors red, yellow and green. But… Sasuke's expression meant that I had gotten it wrong.

Neji leaned over and looked at the card. Then he smiled. "Hinata, what is the group Flow's most famous song? The main lyrics are 'we are fighting dreamers'."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What does go have to do with Bell Peppers?" I asked.

Sasuke, Neji, and Kiba burst out laughing. "Hinata, that's the word," Sasuke chuckled.

I blushed in embarrassment and avoided meeting anyone's gaze. I started at the wall. And actually, for a wall, it wasn't so boring. There were different textures on it, and its light-cream paint was starting to chip off. '_Stupid Sasuke, stupid Kiba, stupid Nii-san, stupid me,' _I silently cursed to myself. Then I sighed to myself. _'Okay, so maybe Nii-san isn't stupid. The other two are, though.'_

"Okay, it's Gaara's turn," exclaimed Kiba, trying to break from his laughing fit.

---xXx---

At the end of the game, we lost track of the score, but it was fun. Everyone enjoyed it, including Gaara and Shikamaru.

And that one game made me wonder. Why do the stupid idiots who make me angry always make a game more enjoyable?


	4. Declaration of War

**New Chappy today, lads (and lassies :D ) Haha. New Chap, Chap!**

**But yeah, this story's been on my mind... Like, a lot! But this is the boring one. The other 3/4 sequels will be better! C: This one's more of a... get to know the characters story. The boring one. :(**

**Disclaimer: Even though I have a lot in story for this series, I doughnut own any of the characters. I dough own... the ideas. Yeah, those things. **

I took a glance at my cell phone's clock

I took a glance at my cell phone's clock. It read six-thirty; I was on-time to school today with a couple minutes to spare.

As soon as I was in the courtyard, I spotted Gaara. It's pretty simple to spot him out of the crowd because not many people at our school have his pretty, crimson-red hair. His height also helped me in scouting him; he was just a couple of inches taller than Shikamaru, who was pretty tall himself.

Halfway to my destination of Gaara, I noticed Sasuke. He was hanging out with a couple of his friends, none of which I knew of except of Sakura and Ino. His eyes met mine and he smiled. I turned pink, smiled back, and hastened my speed. I had seen Sakura look my way, along with Ino and the rest of his friends. I did not want to be mixed up in their business, especially not with an angry Sakura and Ino after me. They already hated me enough.

I slowed at the thought. Sadness painted over me with a fresh, clean coat. Ino used to be one of my best friends. Now she hated me. High school ruined our friendship forever. Only Gaara and Kiba have been with me since middle school…

"Hinata, what's wrong?" A velvet soft voice spoke out, snapping my thought process. I looked up and found Gaara standing in front of me. He pulled his hand up and wiped a loose tear off my cheek. "Don't say nothing's wrong because it's too early in the morning for you to be crying for no reason."

I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. It was for me, not him. I smiled a little. Gaara would allow me this privacy, but everyone else would have been pestering me about it until I told them.

I stepped closer to Gaara and hugged him. He was taken back for a couple of seconds, but hugged me back. "Thank you," I whispered after a few moments.

"You're welcome," he replied. I wasn't sure if he understood why I had said thanks or if he was just being polite.

I let go of Gaara and stepped away, wiping my eyes. "I'm sorry," I croaked. "I'm not in the best mood this morning."

"Who is?" exclaimed Kiba, who had pulled up next to me, making me jump. He grinned stupidly and chuckled, obviously he thought something was funny. "Hana nearly got us ran over on our way here. Ya know, she's a great sister and everything, but she needs to learn how to drive better."

I rolled my eyes, my tears gone. "I can't wait to see you drive," I said sarcastically. "I bet hell's better than in a screaming metal death trap with you at the wheel."

Kiba laughed. "That's not true! I already have my permit," he announced. "I've had it for three months. I think I drive just fine."

"Well, seeing as how you describe 'just fine'…" Gaara added.

"… You must be horrible," I chipped in again, ending the sentence.

Kiba's tongue clicked against his teeth. "Tch, just you wait. One day, you'll have to have my drive you two somewhere and it'll be the best car ride ever!" he fought back.

I rolled my eyes. "I bet you'll get us into a crash on purpose," I shot back. As soon as purpose slipped out of my mouth, the bell rang for first class.

Kiba grinned. "Damn! Foiled again!" he exclaimed stupidly, breaking the conversation. He clapped me on the shoulder and grinned at Gaara. "Well, time for first class," he sighed in disappointment. "I hate math! Why do we have to learn the stuff anyways? It's not like we'll use it in the future."

"You might," I answered, turning with Gaara to go to our class.

"But what if I choose a job that doesn't need math!?" he called after us. "Like a truck driver!"

"You'll never be a truck driver because you'd get into too many accidents!" I called over my shoulder. I heard his loud laugh behind me, and I smiled to myself.

When we reached the door to the classroom, caught up in some conversation, I heard my name behind me. "Hinata-chan, I don't understand it. If all Kiba does is annoy you, then why do you still strive to be his friend?" said a soft, silky voice.

Both Gaara and I turned around and looked at Sasuke, who was standing behind us. His normal group of Ino, Sakura, all the other freshmen girls who loved him, and his friends Sai and Naruto were nowhere to be seen, just him.

"Because I happen to like Kiba-dobe," I answered. "He can cheer me up." Then I frowned at him and asked, "Why do you even care?"

He smiled. "Because I happen to like you, Hina-chan," he smirked, stealing my words. "You're amusing."

His words hit my like a ton of bricks. I would never, in my life, have expected him to ever take a liking to me. "Aha, y-you're joking, right?" I laughed shakily. I got a weird look from Gaara, but I deserved one. Ordinary isn't the way I would describe my actions.

Sasuke also gave me a weird look, but smiled warmly at me. "Of course not," he replied. I felt a hot blush cover my cheeks. His smile turned into a serious face. I guess he didn't see the blush. "You're a great person, and I respect that. It'll be nice having a friend like you around. After all, not many girls are like you. They think _I'm so hot_." He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

I looked up at him, smiled, and said, "But it's because you're not that bad looking, and you're pretty nice."

Next to me, I felt a slight tug on my sleeve and an annoyed Gaara started walking into the classroom. I followed him, and Sasuke took the rear.

Sasuke turned to go sit in his seat in the back of the middle row of desks, while Gaara and I walked over to our seats. The bell rang as our Science teacher, Asuma-sensei, walked to the front of the class and handed out a test that we had been awaiting for the last couple of days.

The test was fairly easy. It was something we had covered fairly well, and I finished it in no time. When I was finished, I turned it in and went back to my seat. I got out a blank piece of paper, but it just sat in front of me, remaining blank. I sat there, staring at it. Normally, I would have tried falling asleep, but alas, I was not tired enough today. So, instead, I stared out the window next to my seat.

I was overlooking the street. The cherry trees were starting to bloom with small, beautiful pink flowers. The lush, green grass that lined the sidewalk shined with the morning dew. Not many cars drove by, and an occasional person walked by, usually with a kid or walking a dog. Everything had a quiet peacefulness to it.

It was already April. The school year had gone by so fast. Last quarter I remembered looking out this same window and seeing a fresh blanket of snow cover the ground and watching a bunch of kids have a snowball fight.

Staring out the window began to make my eyelids began to droop. Maybe I wasn't as awake as I thought. I put my head down on my desk and rested.

After what felt like three minutes, I was shaken awake by Gaara and the bell ringing. I sleepily lifted my head and grabbed my stuff from the floor. I wadded up the blank paper and tossed it in the trash can on my way out of the room.

Math and History passed by. Geometry was impossibly hard and I didn't understand what we were working on whatsoever, yet I still got a mountain of homework. And history was just boring. We were learning about the Third Great War, and Hayate-sensei was just annoying with his coughing fits.

When the lunch bell rang, I stretched my stiff limbs as I made my way to our lunch table in the corner of the cafeteria. I grabbed a chair from a neighboring table and put it between Kiba and Temari. Shino was sitting to Kiba's left and Shikamaru and Kankuro were sitting to Temari's right. My backpack fell from my shoulders and onto my chair. I took my bento out of it before tossing the sack onto the floor under my chair.

"Where's Gaara?" Kiba asked me as he opened my bento, grabbed a sushi roll, and popped it into his mouth. It was a daily ritual for him to take my food. He was too lazy to make a lunch for himself and his sister wouldn't make one for him, and since I had one everyday, he just stole from me. I didn't mind.

I shrugged and grabbed a rice ball. "I lost him in the lunch crowd."

"He's on the roof." Shino's curt words surprised me and Kiba. Shino always was the one to notice small things like that.

"Hinata, is there anything wrong with him?" Kiba asked. Gaara usually didn't go on the roof unless something was wrong.

"I don't know. He was fine this morning," I answered. I pop another sushi roll into my mouth and stand up. "I'm going to see if he's okay."

"Can I come?" Kiba offered.

"No, you stay here and when I come back, I expect there to be food," I said, walking away from the table.

I escaped the cafeteria and emerged into the courtyard. I took the first hallway and started climbing the stairs all the way up past the ninth floor to the roof. The halls were quiet. Everyone was at lunch, and the only sounds I could hear were my own footsteps.

I reached the ninth floor and continued up the stairs to the roof. When I reached the door, I paused, and slowly pushed it open. I stuck my head out.

Gaara, as Shino said, was on the roof. Yet, so was Sasuke.

"I know you didn't call me out here just to tell me that," said Gaara coolly. "So what do you want?"

Sasuke smirked. "Now that we're past introductions, I shall explain why I am here. But I don't have to. You already know. She means as much to me as she does to you, and she is part of the reason why. So let's put this simply. I hate you. So I thought it would be a fair warning if I told you what I was planning."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, and the Uchiha continued. "I want what you want. And in order to get what I want, I have to utterly defeat my opponents. So, I'm going to take everything away from you. Your family and friends will all be against you. I'm going to take your happiness away and shred it to pieces. Of course, I thought I would just tell you this so you can enjoy the time you have left. And I also gave you a chance to leave. You can return to Suna, and it'll save you from a world of sadness and it'll also save me a bunch of time and effort."

Gaara's body tensed up. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke beat him to it. "The best option is to just leave. I don't believe you want to hear little Hinata, yelling, _"I hate you!"_ at you, over and over. _"I hate you! You're nothing but a demon-child that nobody wants! Why don't you just die!?" _It would be horrible for both you and Hinata." He sounded so sure of himself.

I felt my chest burn. Many questions had popped into my little head: Who was this "she" Sasuke kept mentioning? Why did he hate Gaara? What happened that made it turn out like this? My unanswered questions buzzed in my head. And I felt angry. Sasuke had decided my future. Who was he to determine that?

I slammed the door open, and Sasuke jumped and turned to look my way. Gaara still stood, trembling, and staring at the ground. "Hinata?!" Sasuke's expression showed me surprise. "How long have you been there?" His surprise disappeared and was replaced by anger.

"Long enough!" I yelled. My eyes felt hot and moist, and the heat in my chest burned, almost like it had been set on fire. "Who do you think you are? You think you can just take over someone's life? Just because you're greedy for something! Just because you're spoiled? Because you have a better life and get everything you want doesn't mean we'll let you get your way!" My eyes got too moist and tears started rolling down my angry red face. My chest's fire was going down.

"I thought you wanted to be my friend! You sure acted like it! I'll never allow you to be my friend if you even think about doing anything to Gaara, or any of my other friends!"

My eyes stung. They stung because of the tears, but also because of my anger. And that anger reflected on Sasuke's face. He looked ready to explode at me, too, but he didn't. He didn't get the chance to.

"What the hell, Sasuke?" Behind me, a familiar voice boomed. Naruto and Sai emerged from the staircase next to me. "Just when I thought you had made a couple of new friends, you try to control them! If I hear another word emerge from your mouth, I'll be sure to shut you up permanently." The blonde spoke sharply to his friend.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Let's go." Sasuke glared at me, and I glared back. He sent a leer at Naruto before walking calmly past me and down the staircase after Sai. Naruto stayed behind and said, "I'm sorry about him. He just loses control over himself. And he won't hurt you guys if I'm here to back you up, so don't worry." His smile reassured me.

The fire that had devoured my chest has dissipated. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. "T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

He turned to leave and waved to me, walking down the steps. "Don't mention it."

When he was gone, I heard a quiet 'thunk.' Behind me, Gaara had fallen to his knees. I ran over to him. He had his head in his hands.

I knelt next to him. "Gaara, are you okay?" I worriedly asked him.

He looked up at me. "Are you?"

I was taken aback by his question. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You blew up at Sasuke back there."

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. He said too much about both of us, and I couldn't control him. I had to stick up for you." I smiled.

"Good," he whispered, "Because I'm not." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close to his chest in a hug.

I hugged him back after a couple of seconds. Who would be? I mean, Sasuke just declared war on him. I wouldn't be okay. _"Don't worry Gaara; I'm on your side. We'll definitely win. With each other, and Kiba and the gang, and even Naruto, Sasuke can't do a thing to either of us. I'll stay by your side, no matter what."_ I silently reassured him.

I would try my best to stay by his side throughout this whole war. I wouldn't let him down. Gaara could count on me!


	5. On Hold

Aha, my friends and readers, I know it's been forever (duh

Aha, my friends and readers, I know it's been forever (duh!), but I shall be putting this story to a stop for a while. I wish to finish the other one first (Fading Memories), so when I can start updating again, and I know the other one shouldn't have too much left in it. I also wish to start up with my writing again soon so I can get onto other stories I wish to do.

So for a while this story will be on hold. This way, you can know this instead of me just not working on it.

-Crazy34


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